After a series of delays, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule successfully lifted off early Wednesday, June 25, marking the launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Onboard the spacecraft is India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, who is set to become the country’s second astronaut in space, nearly four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984.
The launch occurred at 2:31 a.m. local time (6:31 a.m. GMT), with Shukla serving as the mission pilot. The 39-year-old Indian Air Force fighter pilot was selected by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to represent the country in this milestone mission, carrying the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.
Shukla is part of a four-member crew on this private spaceflight organized by Axiom Space. Besides Group Captain Shukla, specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, and Commander Peggy Whitson of the US are aboard the spacecraft.
If all proceeds as planned, the Ax-4 astronauts will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on June 26 morning, where they will be greeted by the current crew of seven – comprising three NASA astronauts, one from Japan, and three Russian cosmonauts.
The mission highlights India’s growing participation in international space endeavours and sets the stage for future collaborations, including ISRO’s ambitious Gaganyaan programme.
